Ochsner Health System and LSU Health Shreveport Join Forces to Improve Healthcare in North Louisiana

September 24, 2018

The State of Louisiana (“State”), the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (“LSU”) Board of Supervisors on behalf of LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport (“LSUHSC-S”) and the LSUHSC-S Faculty Group Practice, and Ochsner Health System (“Ochsner”) announced today that they have signed the final Public Private Partnership Agreement in Shreveport and Monroe. Ochsner and LSU Health Shreveport will jointly form Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport to oversee and coordinate activities between the health sciences center and the healthcare delivery system. Under the new structure, Ochsner will bring their nationally-recognized expertise to the management of operations for partner hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe, clinics and the clinical activity of the LSUHSC-S Faculty Group Practice. LSU will continue to successfully oversee the LSUHSC-S School of Medicine, School of Allied Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, Graduate Medical Education, and research initiatives.

Under the new structure, the partners announced the following expansions and investments:

Facility Investment will initially be focused on renovation of select operating rooms and the surgical intensive care unit in addition to the overall infrastructure of facilities.

Investments in technology enhancements will include but are not limited to enhancing functionality of electronic medical records with a goal of enhancing coordination of care and upgrading lab and monitoring equipment.

Investments in people and programs to improve quality including hiring a new Chief Quality Officer to maintain a relentless focus on improving outcomes in both our hospital and clinic settings; launching a hospitalist program in both hospitals to provide additional care for our inpatients, and more effective coordination with their primary care and specialty physicians; and implementing best practices regarding quality, and safety analytics and processes;

Expansion to improve access to care including identifying opportunities to open new facilities outside of the current campuses, such as an ambulatory care clinic, diagnostic imaging center, urgent care clinics, and convenient, community based primary care clinics; investment in centralized and online appointment scheduling, and through recruitment of new physicians to support specialized needs;

Advancement in digital and telehealth, as well as post-acute care, to add capabilities that provide new options designed to improve the overall patient experience in north Louisiana;

Increased focus on the health and wellbeing of the community by broadening our primary care network, implementing programs that empower patients to stay healthy while managing chronic disease, expanding preventative screenings, and developing new community partnerships.

“I’m excited about this opportunity for the people of North Louisiana and for our state,” said Governor John Bel Edwards. “Our commitment has been to finding the right solutions that enable us to take care of more Louisianans, while preserving medical education in Northwest Louisiana. We are able to do that without additional financial burden on the state or our citizens. It takes innovative thinking and I believe this partnership will enable Ochsner and LSU to bring that same expertise to strengthening and growing the medical school, improving facilities, and ultimately delivering better health care to everyone in this region.”

“Today marks a new beginning for healthcare delivery in north Louisiana. LSU is proud to partner with Ochsner as we continue to train the nation’s finest healthcare professionals in Shreveport and across Louisiana,” said LSU President F. King Alexander. “I’d like to thank our faculty and staff for never wavering in their commitment to the people of this critically important region, and also Gov. Edwards and his administration for supporting LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport and its teaching mission.”

Chuck Daigle has been named Chief Executive Officer and Dr. David Lewis will be the Chief Medical Officer of Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport. Dr. Chuck Fox will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the LSUHSC-S Faculty Practice Group. These leaders will work together to establish a bold vision that builds on the strengths of Ochsner and LSU Health Shreveport.

This new partnership with Ochsner Health System is very exciting for our patients, students and the local economy. I am grateful to Governor Edwards, Commissioner Dardenne, LSU President King Alexander, the leadership teams of Ochsner and LSU Health Shreveport for their unwavering commitment to create this partnership that may well become the benchmark for public private healthcare operations. I also want to acknowledge and thank our dedicated employees, who even during very challenging times, remained acutely focus on our mission to teach, heal and discover,” stated LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor G. E. Ghali DDS, MD.

As a part of the new agreement, a new governing board will be formed with representation from LSU Health Shreveport, Ochsner and the North Louisiana communities being served.

“This is an historic day and one we know that means a great deal to the state and to the people of north Louisiana,” said Warner Thomas, President and CEO, Ochsner Health System. “We are committed to drive healthcare innovation in our state, to make the investments needed to expand patient-centered technology, to advance care, and to develop new models that deliver more to patients, physicians, students and residents. With LSU, and through new relationships in the region as well as participation in new programs, we will work to ensure the financial stability of the new organization and identify opportunities for continued growth. I am excited that the Governor and LSU sought out Ochsner as a partner who can bring our nationally recognized quality and healthcare management expertise to the partnership.”

Under the terms of this agreement, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport will go in to effect October 1, 2018.

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ABOUT LSU HEALTH SHREVEPORT

LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport is one of two Health Sciences Centers of the Louisiana State University System and one of only one hundred and forty in the nation. LSU Health Shreveport is home to the School of Medicine, School of Graduate Studies and School of Allied Health Professions. Almost 900 students are enrolled in the degree programs at any one time. Additionally, over 500 residents and fellows are trained each year. The primary mission of the LSUHealth Sciences Center at Shreveport is to teach, heal, and discover, in order to advance the wellbeing of the region and beyond. At the heart of the LSU Health Shreveport is a strong faculty that includes a number of nationally and internationally-acclaimed physicians and scientists. More than 600 strong, they lead our research efforts, educate our students and provide primary and specialty care to patients throughout the region. LSU Health Shreveport has strong community support, fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion that promotes mutual respect for all. For more information, visit www.lsuhscshreveport.edu.

ABOUT OCHSNER HEALTH SYSTEM

Ochsner Health System is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 30 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and more than 80 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across four specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 80 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs more than 18,000 employees and over 1,100 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts more than 600 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit www.ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.